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   THE CALICO PRINTER
   THE art of Calico printing, or cloth
printing, that is, of dyeing in certain
colours, particular spots of the cloth, while
the ground shall be of a different colour,
or entirely white, is undoubtedly a branch
of chemistry. The pattern is first drawn
on paper the whole breadth of the cloth
intended to be printed; the workman
then divides the pattern into several
parts according to its size, each part
being about eight inches broad, by twelve
inches long ; each distinct part or pat-
tern thus divided, is cut out upon wood-
en blocks, and this is the most curious
part of the process.   The manner of
printing with wooden prints is very easy
if there be only two colours, as green
and blue; or black and a white ground;
then the block requires only to be dip-
ped in the printing ink, and impressed
on the cloth.  When more colours are
used thev are then laid on with a brush
or brushes and impressed with the hand.
  The machines used in Calico printing are
of two kinds, the flat press and the rolling
or cylinder press. The flat press was origi-
nally confined to one colour, but modern ima-
provements have extended it to two or three.